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The majority of the rail network in Scotland and the north of England has reopened this evening following the devastating impact of th e severe storm that has battered the north of the UK today with winds in excess of 140mph.

Richard Schofield, route managing director, Network Rail, said: “Fallen trees, debris and over-head line issues from today’s storm have impacted the railway in the region and we’d like to thank passengers for their patience.

As train services in Scotland start to run again as we clear routes of debris, ensuring they're safe, and opening them up for services, preparation is now underway for the storm surge expected to hit the east of England and East Anglia tonight and into the early hours of Friday morning.

Network Rail is warning passengers that a number of lines will be suspended from 16.30 today until 12.30 tomorrow in response to a severe flood warning.

Train services in Scotland are starting to run again as we clear routes of debris, ensuring they're safe, and opening them up for services.

Train services in Scotland are running again after severe winds of up to 100mph caused the network to close on Thursday morning due to safety concerns.

Services in Scotland and the north of England continue to be severely impact by today's storm as wind speeds in excess of 100mph have been recorded.

Network Rail thanks passengers for their continued patience as engineers work to remove dozens of items of debris and fallen trees from the railway. Today's high winds have resulted in many longer journeys and cancellations. The line between Doncaster and Leeds has re-opened following clearance works and safety checks. There is still significant disruption to services, particularly in the Doncaster area as the storm moves south. The Whitby line is also closed.